Behind the Fan: @randomwallows 🤎

Written by: Caroline Bugg

Back in 2017, the TV series, 13 Reasons Why, was released on Netflix. As the show gained popularity, fans of the show started becoming more interested in the lead actor, Dylan Minnette. Around the same time the show came out, Dylan and his band, Wallows, started releasing music! With their songs racking up hundreds of millions of streams on Spotify, this indie/rock band is truly receiving lots of love. Today, we are so excited to feature one of our favorite fan accounts dedicated to Wallows, @randomwallows! 🤗

Gwen, the fan behind @randomwallows, is 24-years-old and lives in Belgium! She has been running different fan accounts since she was 13 - wow! Gwen first became a fan of Wallows in 2019. Surprisingly, it wasn’t 13 Reasons Why that introduced Gwen to Wallows. She actually discovered them because she saw one of the band members, Braeden, in the web series, “T@gged.” After looking him up and seeing that he was friends with Dylan, she learned about their band and gave them a listen! She absolutely fell in love with their music, saying, “When ‘Are You Bored Yet?’ was released, it confirmed their talent and potential for me.” We totally agree! ✨

One of the main things that Gwen loves about Wallows is how special the band members’ bond is. The band members, Dylan Minnette, Braeden Lemasters, and Cole Preston, have all known each other since they were young. “They are literally brothers who grew up together, sharing that one same dream: to make music as a band,” says Gwen. One great thing about Wallows that she also loves to highlight is how they aren’t afraid to experiment with their sound and change up their music! 💥

When asked what song by Wallows means the most to her, Gwen said it’s definitely their song called “Only Friend.” Gwen relates to the lyrics based on her own experiences growing up, and she loves how “raw and nostalgic” the song is. Although it is a sad song, she finds it meaningful, realistic, and beautiful.

However, although her favorite song is “Only Friend,” her favorite video of Wallows is the music video for their song “OK.” From the aesthetics to the humor, that music video will forever be the best in Gwen’s opinion. She also really enjoys all the live performance videos from the “Live At The Roxy” shows because of how hard the band worked to make the

shows perfect, even in the midst of the pandemic. 👏🏻

Gwen has had some awesome encounters with the band so far in her life. First, at their show in Cologne, Germany, as they were performing “Are You Bored Yet?” Dylan took her phone and filmed the audience!

Later that night, the drummer, Cole, talked with her and her friend and even gave them each one of his drumsticks! How lucky! 🤩

In November 2019, Gwen went to see Wallows open for Vampire Weekend in Paris. After Wallows finished their set, they went into the audience to watch Vampire Weekend and happened to be right next to Gwen and her friends! She got to spend the whole concert next to them and even spoke to Dylan before the show! Talk about a fangirl's dream! Braeden and Dylan have also liked and commented on her posts on her fan account, @randomwallows. The band's Instagram account has even reposted two of her posts to their story. When reminiscing on this, Gwen said, “I feel like the happiest girl in the world.” 💜

In January earlier this year, Dylan actually followed @randomwallows from his personal account! After seeing that he’d followed her fan account, Gwen burst into tears because she was so excited! He then replied to one of her stories thanking her for all of her support and saying how he liked her posts a lot.

They even had a chat about Wallows’ second album! Being recognized by someone you look up to is a wonderful thing, and we are so glad Gwen got to experience that. 🎊

Her favorite part of having a fan account though is being able to share her passion with other people. Being able to share her love for the band, talk about their music with other fans, and make friendships in the process has made her so happy. Gwen’s main goal in creating the account was to create a place for people to feel like they were included and welcomed into the Wallows

fan community. Now that she has nearly 14 thousand followers, she’s realized that this fandom is one of the most kind and heartwarming ones in the game! 🙌🏻

When asked what she would say if she could send Wallows a message, Gwen replied, “Thank you for making me feel part of something much bigger than music itself. Your music and lyrics make me feel understood and less alone in this big chaotic world. Keep making the music that you love…I couldn’t have

dreamed of better people to support.” ⭐️

We are so happy (and maybe a bit jealous) that Gwen has been able to have these amazing experiences! We are so grateful to Gwen and fans all over the world who help make inclusive communities for all the fandoms we love. We will never get enough of @randomwallows, and we can’t wait to see this Wallows fan account continue to grow! 🖤

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